1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drum for use in combination with an automatic photographic processing system and more particularly to a slotted drum which allows a single bi-directional motor to perform the functions of agitation, retention and fluid drainage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,818, entitled Color Print or Film Processor, issued to Roger A. King on July 12, 1977, teaches an automatic photographic developing apparatus in which the photographic developing apparatus in which the photographic material to be developed is placed in a cylindrical drum. The drum is laid on its side on a set of rollers, one of which causes it to rotate. A plurality of containers for various photographic liquids are provided with valve arrangements by which their contents are delivered either in total or in measured increments to the rotating drum. The drum is mounted in a cradle so that it can be tilted to drain liquids from it. Specific details are given of the drum, its driving and cradle tilting components, the liquid dispensing and metering components, and the program control apparatus whereby the photographic materials may be treated with selected solutions in selected orders for predetermined intervals.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,535, entitled Photographic Processing Apparatus, issued to Robert G. H. Streeter on Apr. 17, 1973, teaches an apparatus for processing photographic materials such as film or paper prints which include an elongated horizontal housing having a top wall provided with an access opening sealed by a lid, a horizontal cylindrical drum mounted in the housing for rotation on its longitudinal axis, a solution tray pivotally mounted in the housing below and drum for movement between an operative position and a dumping position for discharging spent solution, and a distribution pipe for supplying treatment solution to the tray. The drum is provided with an opening in its periphery having two parallel rims extending along the longitudinal axis of the drum and a scooping lip mounted on one of the said rims. The sheets of photographic material are placed in the drum through the opening and the sheets are secured inside the drum by adjustable bars detachably fixed on the inside periphery of the drum. The drum is then continuously rotated about its horizontal axis and a predetermined amount of treatment solution fed into the tray. As the drum rotates the scooping lip scoops up the solution into the drum so that the photographic sheets are continuously brought into contact with the solution. The tray is then tilted to discharge the solution and a succession of treatment solutions are fed into the tray in the foregoing manner until the photographic sheets are processed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,080, entitled Apparatus for Developing Photographic Films, issued to Werner Merz on Aug. 8, 1972, teaches an apparatus for developing photographic films which includes one or more drums which have spaced opposite ends that are mounted for rotation in a housing and a supply supplies liquid developer to the interior of these drums. Raising arrangement utilizing eccentric cams or the like is provided for alternately raising or lowering one end of each drum at predetermined time intervals and through a predetermined distance to thereby cause longitudinally traveling waves of the developer in the drums.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,860, entitled Apparatus for Photographic Processing, issued to Peter R. S. Wilkinson on Nov. 28, 1972, teaches a drum photographic processor which is adapted to rotate horizontally but to be tilted to evacuate processing solution while still being rotated. The direction of rotation may be changed as well as the degree of tilting. A longitudinal slot within the drum serves to engage a leading edge of photographic film being processed and to assist in the desired flow of processing solution. Various devices to cause automatic evacuation of processing solution or tilting the drum are described.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,259, entitled Photographic Material Processing Module, issued to Edward Van Baerle on Sept. 21, 1976, teaches a photographic material processing module which is usable alone for all the processing procedure, or with like modules in side-by-side relation, each module performing one or more of the processing steps. Exposed photographic material is mounted in a cylindrical container having at one end a cover provided with an opening for receiving and discharging processing liquids. The module has a mechanical arrangement for rotating the container a few revolutions in one direction followed by a few revolutions in the opposite direction, and, in preferred form, a mechanism for simultaneously reciprocating the container axially, such movements providing optimum shear relation between processing liquid and photographic material for streak-free processing. A liquid supplying system is provided for feeding measured amounts of processing liquid at proper temperature into the container, and for elevating one end of the container to discharge the processing liquid at the conclusion of a timed processing step. Finally, the module has a transport device for moving the container from the module to an adjacent module at the conclusion of the processing step or steps performed in that module.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,035,818; 3,727,535; 3,682,080; 3,703,860; and 3,982,259 all teach photographic film processing systems which have mechanisms for tilting the drums containing the photographic film in order to drain the processing liquid from the drums. These mechanisms are relatively mechanically complex compared to a single bi-directional motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,138, entitled Photographic Print Processing Apparatus, issued to Leonard E. Brasher on Jan. 9, 1973, teaches a photographic print processing apparatus which includes a rotatable drum into which may be introduced a quantity of photographic print processing fluid. A device is provided for controllably introducing the processing fluid into the drum and for controllably introducing water or other appropriate fluid for the washing of photographic printing papers at appropriate stages during the development process. The apparatus may be powered manually or may be provided with a motor drive mechanism to achieve selective rotation of the drum during processing. The drum may be rotated in one direction for processing and may be rotated in the opposite direction for expelling the processing fluid from the drum into a reservoir provided to contain the expelled fluid. Selective directional rotation of the drum may be achieved by the reversible electric motor that may be actuated by mercury switches positioned on an actuating lever which switches are selectively actuated to energize the motor depending upon relative positioning of the lever as the lever is actuated for control purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,902, entitled Apparatus for Developing Photographic Prints, issued to Dennis C. Rebek on Oct. 18, 1977, teaches an apparatus for developing photographic prints which is housed in a cabinet and which includes a developing tank, a removable hood for covering the developing tank, a removable hood for covering the developing tank against the entrance of light, a print holding fixture mounted for rotation relative to the developing tank, and a plurality of containers of compartments for storing developing reagents and rinse water. The print holding fixture includes mounting units which are adapted to contact only the opposite outer edge portions of a print and hold it in a plano-arcuate shape with the image or exposed side facing inwardly. The cabinet includes a chamber which jackets or surrounds a major portion of the developing tank and holds warm water for tempering developing reagents and rinse water container in the developing tank. The developing reagent and rinse water containers or compartments are connected to the developing tank by individual conduits including intermediate portions which are located in the lower portion of the chamber and mounted in a coiled fashion so that the warm water tempers the developing reagents and the rinse water prior to their introduction into the developing tank. The apparatus also includes control valves for selectively admitting each reagent and the rinse water into the developing tank and a drain valve for draining the developing tank so that, after installation of a print or prints on the holding fixture, the entire development process can be performed in a lighted room.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,288,403, entitled Photographic Developing Apparatus, issued to William F. Garland on Dec. 17, 1918 teaches a system for developing photographic prints. U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,488, entitled Carrier for Processing Photographic Materials and Apparatus for Rotating the Carrier, issued to Simon Ratowsky on Sept. 21, 1978, teaches an apparatus for axially rotating and vertically oscillating a horizontally disposed cylindrical carrier for processing photographic material, the carrier having a ring projecting longitudinally from at least one end thereof, to form an internal trackway.
In all of the above described photographic film processing systems there are mechanisms for tilting the drums in order to drain the processing liquid from them. These mechanisms require many moving parts such as levers, gears, pulleys or cams which must be machined within close tolerances. Furthermore their drum geometry require large volume of the processing liquids in order to contact the photographic paper.